1/24/09

A fabulous taste sensation of flavors in this shrimp dish. Just like I love my sweets with a hint of salty, I love my spicy foods with a hint of sweet. The key to this dish is the marinade, but then again isn't that always the case? The longer something sits and marinades in a good sauce, the better it tastes. So, if you can, let this marinade overnight. I also added in more of the Thai chile sauce, you don't have to, but the flavor is a deep spice, not an instant HOT, but a slow warming heat as you eat it; that's why I love spicy Thai chile sauces.Sorry I don't have better pictures this time around as this was a dinner meal and it's so dark here by the time we get around to eating. But I had to share this recipe with everyone as the sauce was soooooo good. And when something is good you just have to share it with friends.I don't know about you, but I am a huge lover of ginger root. I am amazed at it's healing powersand more importantly it's taste. Whenever I eat sushi I always ask for more ginger. I'm the person in Whole Foods buying the jars of pickled ginger and bargaining with the sushi chefs to pile on some more ginger onto my sushi lunch rolls. In this dish, I added big chunks of thinly sliced ginger...you can see it in the first pic, on the left side. When those chunks of ginger marinaded in that sauce and then were cooked through, oh the taste! I ate all the chunks in this dish as the hubby won't touch it.

Flatten white parts of scallions with the side of a cleaver. Finely chop green parts and set aside for garnish. Rinse the shrimp under cold running water, then drain and blot dry with paper towels. Set aside while you prepare the marinade.

Combine 3 tablespoons of the sesame oil, the rice wine, soy sauce, honey, sesame seeds, chile sauce (if using), and five-spice powder in a large bowl and whisk to blend.Stir in the garlic, ginger, scallions, and shrimp to coat, then cover and let marinate, in the refrigerator, for 30 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the grill to high. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from the marinade to a bowl and toss with the remaining 3 tablespoons sesame oil.Pour the marinade into a saucepan; remove and discard the garlic, ginger, and scallion whites, using the slotted spoon. Bring the marinade to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, uncovered, to a thick, syrupy glaze, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.When ready to cook, oil the grate.Arrange the shrimp on the hot grate and grill, turning with tongs, until nicely browned on the outside and firm and pink inside, about 2 minutes per side. Brush the shrimp with the glaze as they cook.Transfer the shrimp to serving plates and or a platter and sprinkle with the scallion greens. Serve immediately with sticky rice

Serves 3 - 4(I've also stir fried this dish and it came out just as good. Right now the grill is buried in snow...somewhere)

Yeah, ginger rules. I've never had pickled ginger, but when I was a a kid I once asked my mom if I could eat some candied ginger (I only really saw the "candied" part). She smirked and said sure. She was pretty surprised when I ate a big chunk of it. Heh.

Your comment about the photo cracked me up. I ALWAYS take my photos at dinner time (after dark) and I always sigh when I see all the light, bright photos on other sites. I just don't have time to cook during the day, so I've asked my step-father to build me a white background that I can light up. Hopefully it will help.

Okay, I have to ask, don't you want to cut off the tails first? I don't always have the patience to try to get the tails off after it's all made and in sauce. It's hard with silverware and saucy for hands.

Hi...I just wanted to drop you a line to tell you I tried this recipe last night and it was yummy! I am thinking about trying it with chicken and/or pork the next time.

I stalk...I mean check :) your blog almost on a daily basis to see what you've been up to. Your recipes are so inspiring and creative. Makes me want to cook all the time. Unfortunately, work prevails but I check your blog there too!

about vanilla sugar blog

Unique eats, creative recipes, as simple as possible.What drives me to create? Seeing dishes in restaurants, meals created on TV, recipes in cookbooks/online, and I always think to myself why didn’t they add this or why did they leave out that? Love to question, love to research, and love to learn about combining different flavors and textures in recipes.Recipe creations please email: vanillasugarblog@aol.com